The EP (electro-physiology) cardiologist and surgeon just came and spoke with us. They said getting Sam's device out took a lot longer and much more manipulation than they expected because he is a thin and muscular boy, but with patience and elbow grease, they accomplished their task.
They tested the new device by sending Sam into an arrhythmia and it worked perfectly. The new device is thinner, but 4mm taller than the older one, so it fits a little better in his tiny body. The settings are the same as the previous device, but this new one has a "monitoring" feature that will help us in the future. It will shock him when he has a sustained arrhythmia over 207 beats per minute and will pace him below 50bpm.
Believe it or not, they said he can return to school on Monday! I think we will save his teacher the fright and keep him out a little longer (a benefit of the homeschool/coop), but that is great news! Things to look for: severe abdominal pain, high fever, issues with the scar. The scar is twice the size that they initially thought it would be, but there is no new scar - they were able to cut through the old one perfectly. He is in recovery now and we should be able to see him soon. He is staying overnight and hopefully he will not have any arrhythmias during that time, or afterwards.
I will continue to update as I know more.
God is good!
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